Apparatus for forming diagonally corrugated paperboard

Abstract

Apparatus for forming diagonally corrugated paperboard having a longitudinally elongated frame upon which is laterally mounted at least one corrugating unit. Each corrugating unit consists of a conveyor mechanism having a continuous loop belt with parallel grooves formed in its outer surface and a mechanism to force the web of paper being passed through the corrugating unit down into the grooves of the continuous loop belt. The parallel grooves in the outer surface of the continuous loop belt are oriented diagonally with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor mechanism. The mechanism to force the web of paper down into the grooves of the belt comprises a plurality of rods that extend in a corresponding diagonal direction across the width of the belt and whose opposite ends are not secured to any structure but which are floatingly carried around a closed loop path structure. The mechanism to force the web of paper down into the grooves further comprises a pair of mounting plates positioned on opposite lateral sides of the continuous loop belt with one of the plates positioned forwardly of the other along the longitudinal axis of said loop belt. Each set of plates rotatably support three gear-like members along their inner faces and these gear-like members synchronously carry the rods in a closed loop path while the ends of the rods are being floatingly carried. This closed loop path is defined by retaining members that pass around a major portion of the path and a vertically oriented plate having cam surfaces along its top and bottom surfaces with these cam surfaces forming a portion of the inner guide surface of said closed loop path. The mounting plates are attached to the frame in such a manner that they may be raised and lowered to thus vary the depth of the corrugations formed in the web of paper passing through the corrugating unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of doformable material comprising a frame,   at least one corrugating unit mounted on said frame comprising conveyor means having a continuous loop belt with parallel grooves formed in its outer surface, and means to force a web of deformable material down into the grooves of said belt as the web of deformable material is passed through the apparatus, closed loop path means at each side of the conveyor means, said means to force the web of deformable material down into the grooves of said belt comprising a plurality of rods independent of each other that floatingly extend across the width of said continuous loop belt and whose opposite ends are floatingly carried around said closed loop path means during a major portion of their travel and a cam to force said rods into said sheet during a portion only of their travel while performing the corrugating operation.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 1 wherein said continuous loop belt is comprised of a plurality of elongated sections secured laterally to each other. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 2 wherein said parallel grooves are oriented diagonally with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor means. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 3 wherein the bottom surface of the elongated sections of the continuous loop belt are secured to the outer face of a continuous loop chain. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 3 wherein said elongated sections are made of metal. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 1 wherein said means to force the deformable material down into the grooves of said belt further comprises a pair of laterally spaced mounting plates each of which rotatably support three sprocket like gears along their inner faces which receive and maintain said rods in spaced relation. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 6 wherein said mounting plates are positioned on opposite lateral sides of said continuous loop belt and one of said plates is positioned forwardly of the other along the longitudinal axis of said continuous loop belt to provide a diagonal relation. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as rectied in claim 6 further comprising means to raise and lower said mounting plates and thus vary the depth of the corrugations in the deformable sheet material. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 6 wherein said means to force the deformable material down into the grooves of said belt further comprises means on the inner faces of said mounting plates defining said closed loop path means around which the ends of said rods are floatingly carried. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus for producing corrugated sheet from a web of deformable material as recited in claim 9 wherein said means on the inner faces of said mounting plates defining said closed loop path, means comprise a retaining member that passes around a major portion of said path and a vertically oriented plate having a cam surface along its top and bottom surface with these cam surfaces forming an inner rod engaging surface on said closed loop path.